Control valve for fluid pressure actuated brakes and the like



CONTROL VALVE on FLUID'PHESSURE ACTUATED BRAKES, AND- THE LIKE F. a.FQLBERTH. ET AL Fi led Feb. 28, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 w ,H N MM l I I nulhtl E 4 w 1.

attorneys y 1935. F. G. FOLIBERTH .ET AL 2,009,170

CONTROL VALVE FOR FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATEID BRAKES AND THE LIKE FiledFeb. 28, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 $1 MN 1 m N \w w ISnnenfors FPEDE'P/(A 6.P0135275 w/u/A/v A- 7013f??? 4PM (ltfomegs CONTROL VALVE FOR FLUIDPRESSURE ACTUATED BRAKES AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 F. G. FOLBERTHETAL Filed Feb. 28, 1955' n M: k

July 23, 1935.

Wm QQ mp hum 3nventqrs a? FEEDER/6K afoul-Wm" W/ll/AM m FOA'BEPTI/(Ittornegs y 23, F. G. FOLBERTH ET AL 2,009,170

CONTROL VMJVE FOR FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED BRAKES AND THE LIKE Filed Feb.28, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zinnentors FEEDER/CA QFOZBEZT/l W/Ll/A/Y MP048527 attorneys Patented July 23, 1935 I I l UNITED STATES PATENTorrlce 'CONTROL VALVE FOR FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED BRAKES AND THE LIKEFrederick G. Folberth and William M. Formal,

Cleveland, Ohio Application February 2a, 1933, Serial no. 658,972 11Claims. (Cl. 303-54) This invention relates to fluid pressure actuandcontrolling mechanisms in its normal or ated devices and moreparticularly to'improved brake released position.

control valve mechanism for controlling the oper- Fig 2 is 8-longitudinal cross section taken ation of fluid pressure actuated meansfor operthrough the operating cylinder and control valve ating thebrakes of a motor vehicle. I unit and showing the parts in the normal orbrake 5 In our co-pending United States patent appllreleased position. rcations, Serial No. 395,548, filed September 27, figure 3 is afragmentary view generally simi- 1929; Serial No. 483,328, flledSeptember 20,1930; lar to Figure 1 but illustrating only the valveSerial No. 611,854; filed May 1'7, 1932 and Serial mechanism and showingthe Position the v lv 19 Not 636,704, filed October 7, 1932, we havedeparts assume when y a been ed scribed and claimed certain improvementsin cau pp t r t brakes. mechanisms for the fluid pressure operation ofFigure 4 is a V e a l similar to Figure} vehicle brakes.v These devicesare particularly but illustrating. e Parts in e positions t y adaptedfor use with brake control hook-ups in assume whe the brake has been appand t which the operation of the brakes is controlled operating lever isbeing maintained in a fixed 15 by the vehicle clutch operating lever.The pres- D ent application relates to certain improvements F g 5 is 8View generally similar to re 3 of the general type of apparatus describd nd but illustrating the parts in the positions they claimed in ourabove noted co-pending applicaassume w e the a 'le has been m v d tions,and it is amongjthe objects of the present a a ve Small a u ln brakereleasing 20 invention to provide a simple and compact fluid direction hy h auxiliary ea Va ve" is pressure brake control valve mechanism whichis Opened d e yl n is momentarily 0 promptly responsive to themovements. of the neeted the at ph r t permit a Small operating leverand which permits the applicaamount of releasing o e of a stion andrelease ofthe vehicle brakes in fan Figure 6 is a sectional View e e y sar efiective manner. to Figure 2 but illustrating a modified form of ourOther objects of our invention are: the prolrlVentlOn-v l vision of abrake control mechanism in which Figure 7 is a sectional w generally smilar to successively small movements of the brake con- Figure 6 u ilustrating another modification of trolling lever in brake applyingdirection will our valve meehenism- 30 cause successively smallincreases in the force In (Kl-pending application, serial exerted .toapply the brakes and in which 5110- 611,354 filed May 17, 1932, wehavedescribed and cessively small movements of the lever in brake c m nauxiliary control Valve adapted, releasing direction will permit thebrakes to be certain c n i i to t the Operating released incorrespondingly small increments; cylmfler dlrectlyrm the atnmspherethmugh 35 the provision of a brake control mechanism relatwely largeopening- Theppemtiqn of this. which is of compact and emcientconstruction valve is controlled by the main control valve opand whichis particularly adapted to be applied eraftmg mechanism and theauxiliary valye is to present-day automotive vehicles withoutexpreferably so arranged that a Small movement f the main control valveoperating connection in 40 40 cessive cost and without rebuilding orredesigning O brake releasing direction will permit the auxiliary theordinary brake system, the provision of cona a trol mechanism for fluidpressure actuated brakes atmospheric valve to open momentanly and then lrom tl close. This re id 0 mm and closin i n which small movements ofthe operating lever S the au'xmaf'y s v h i in brake releasing directionare adapted to peri sure conditions, within, the brake operating cylmita momentary connection of the operating inder to change a relativelySmall amount thus cylinder to the atmosphere whereby the brakesefiectingja relatively small release of the vehicle will be released acorrespondingly small amount. brakes The above and other objects of ourinvention The principle of operation and chief, functions Will pp r fromthe following description of of our present auxiliary control valve aresimilar 50 several embodiments thereof, reference being bad t th of thxiliar v l d ib d in our to the accompanying drawings, inwhichco-pending application, Serial No. 611,854, above Figure l isafragmentary side elevation, partly noted, but the present inventioncombines the in section, of the forward end of an automotive auxiliaryvalve in a single compact unit with a vehicle illustrating our improvedbrake actuating main control valve of the type described and 55 claimedin our co-pending application, Serial No. 636,704, filed October '7,1932 in a particularly compact and effective unit.

Referring now to Figure l of the drawings, the automobile illustrated isof the usual type and is preferably provided with both front and rearwheel brakes. Only the front wheel brakes I are illustrated and theseare adapted to be operated through suitable connections 2 which extendto the cross shaft 3 to which is Secured the brake operating lever Ihaving a pedal 3 at its upper end. The vehicle clutch operating lever 3is of the usua1 type and is provided with a pedal 1. We have'illustratedourbrake operating unitas controlled by operation of the vehicle clutchpedal,

but it will be understood by those skilled in the art that a separatepedal or lever could be pro.- vided for operating the valve mechanism orthe valve mechanism could be operated directly from the usual brakepedal. The clutch lever I is pro-' vided with an upwardly extendingmember I which has sliding engagement with the rod or cable 9. Anadjustable stop it is secured to the rod or cable 9 at one end thereofand the other end is connected to operate the brake control mechanism,as will be later described. When the parts are in the positions shown inFigure 1, the clutch is in its engaged position and the brake isreleased. During the first movement of the clutch pedal in clutchdisengaging direction, the member 9 merely slides over the rod or cable9 and the adjustable stop Ill is preferably so positioned that, when theclutch is completely disengaged, the member 8 will engage the stop l0and apply a downward pull on the valve operating mechanism. This tendsto operate the valve to cause the piston in the cylinder I I to moveupwardly therein thus exerting a pull on the cable l2 which is connectedto the piston rod l3 at one end and to the brake lever 3 at its oppositeend. The cable l2 extends around a pulley I4 and the movement of thepiston upwardly in the cylinder will move the brake lever 3 downwardlyin brake aplying direction.

In the embodiment of our lnvention illustrated in Figure 1 the brakeoperating mechanism is shown supported by and extending through thefloor board I! of the vehicle and the cylinder II is connected to theintake manifold l9 by the pipe H, but it will be understood that-theapparatus may be installed in any suitable location on the vehicle andthat any other suitable source of actuating pressure may be provided.

Figure 2 illustrates the brake control and operating unit prcper,'theparts being in the positions they would assume when the other controlelements are in the positions shown in Figure l. The main control valvesare mounted in a hous ing which also forms an upper end cap for thecylinder This valve arrangement is generally similar to that shown inour co-pending application, Serial No. 636,704, il1ed October '7, i932,and will, therefore, be but briefly described herein.

A diaphragm chamber I3 is formed by the end cap l9 and the cover plate2|). A diaphragm 2| is supported in the chamber l3 and the cover plate20 is provided with a relatively small passage 22 which connects thechamber II with the interior of the cylinder The portion of the chamberII on the opposite side of the diaphragm 2| from the cylinder II isconnected to the atmosphere through a vent hole 23. The inher end of thevalve rod 24 is secured to the diaphragm 2| and extends through suitablebores or bearing portions in the end cap I9 and the closed. When thevalve 26 is lifted from its seat I the connection from the cylinder tothe intake manifold is completed through the chamber 21 and the passage23 formed in the end cap member l9. The outer end of the rod 24 isprovided with a knife edge 29 which engages one side of the upper end Lof the main valve operating lever L. The opposite side of the end L oflever L engages a pivoted knife edge member 33 which is mounted forsliding movement in a slot in the rod 24 and an adjustable spring 3|acts as a resilient support for the knife edge 30.

Themain atmospheric connection control valve 32 is carried by a rod 33which is pivoted at its outer end to the lever L and has a bearing inthe bushing 34. This bushing 34 is screwed into position in a suitableaperture in the housing 23 and has an inner end of reduced diameter, asshown at 35. The valve 32 is adapted to seat upon a seat 36 and, whenthe valve 32 is in'open positionas shown in Figure .2, a passage isprovided from the chamber 28 to'the atmosphere through the aperture 31,the annular space 33 around the reduced end 33 of sleeve 34, and theholes 39 which extend through the wall of the housing 25.

In Figure 2 the vacuum control valve 26 is closed and the mainatmospheric control valve 32 is open. Thus, the interior of the cylinderisunder atmospheric pressure and no force is exerted on the piston 40 asthe piston rod end of the cylinder II is also connected to theatmosphere through the holes ll.

Briefly, the operation of the valve to cause application of the brakesis as follows:

When the cable 9 is moved in the direction of the arrow (Figure 2) thelever L is first moved about the knife edge 29 as a fulcrum and the rod33 and the valve 32 are moved to the left 33, as this point becomesfixed when the valve.

32 reaches its seat 36. This movement of the lever L about the point 42will cause the valve 23 to be lifted'from its seat and the intakemanifold suction will be connected to the interior of the cylinder andthe pressure therein will be reduced. This reduced pressure. will alsobe applied, through the small hole 22, to the left hand side of thediaphragm 2|and when a sufficient force is exerted on the diaphragm 2|by the atmospheric pressure on the right hand side thereof to compressthe spring 3|, the rod 24 and valve 23 will be moved to theleft untilthe valve 23 is again seated and the vacuum connection closed. Duringthis movement of the valve 23 and rod 23 the lever L will remainstationary and the spring 3| will be compressed. Thus, the spring 3| isin balanced relation to the diaphragm 2| and now, as both the valve 29and the valve 32 are closed, the pressure conditions within the cylinderII will remain constant until the lever L is either moved to causefurther re- The auxiliary brake release valve mechanism is contained ina housing generally indicatedat Hand which may conveniently be madeintegral with the housing 25. A diaphragm chamber 43 lsformed-in thehousing H and a diaphragm is held in position on a suitable shoulder inthe housing H by the cover plate 45 which" has threaded engagement withthe housing H. The auxiliary valve 45 is carried by a rod or stem 41which extends through bothside walls of the chamber 42. Leakage to orfrom the chamber 43 around the stem 41 may be prevented by pack- I ingas indicated at and 49. .The stem 41 passes through andis secured tothediaphragm 44 in any suitable manner, such as by means of the nut 50which holds the diaphragm in position against a flange 5| on the stem41. As will be seen from Figure 2 the valve portion 45 is disposed atthe left end of the stem I41 and is adapted toxclose the passage 52which connectsthe passage 53 to the atmosphere. The passage 59 extendsto the chamber and thus is connected to theinterior of the cylinder H.-

The portion of the diaphragm chamber 43 on the left hand side of :thediaphragm 44 is con- I the diaphragm. The end of'the stem 41 whichextends out through the. plug 45 is provided with a spring supportingflange member 55 which car-.

ries .a coil spring 59.

Atthe opposite end of the, spring 59 is a flanged plug 55 which'lsmounted on a rod 5|. The opcrating lever L is pivotally secured to therod H at 52. The spring 59 is of such a character that when the partsare inthe position shown inFlgure 2 it is under a certain degree ofcompression and thus tends to hold the valve 32 open,-

the valve 25 closed and the valve 45 closed. In Figure 3 we haveillustrated the valves 25, 32 and .45 closed which is the" position theyassume when thebrakes are held at any desired degree of application. Inthis position the spring "59 has been somewhat compressed and it will beseen that the same degree of vacuum is applied to the right hand side ofthe diaphragm 44 as. exists within the maincylinder II as said side ofthe diaphragm 44 is connected at all times to the interior of thecylinder through passages.

exerted bythe suction on the diaphragm .44 to open the valve 45. Now, ifthe operator releases the pressure of his foot upon the clutch operatingpedal the cable 9 will be permitted to move slightly to the right(Figures 2 and 3). The pressure upon the spring 59 will be relieved andthe parts preferably are so proportioned that a small release of thepressure of the operator's foot will permit the pressure on the spring59 tobe relieved enough so that the action oi the vacuumon the diaphragm44 will be strong enough to overcome the spring 59 and lift the valve 45from its seat. Immediately air will rush into the cylinder from theatmosphere through the passages 52 and 53 andthe degree of vacuum in thecylinder will be reduced. A corresponding reduction in the degree ofvacuum effective on the right hand side of the diaphragm 44 will alsotake place and the pressure of the spring 55 will again become greatenough to overcome the effect of the vacuum on the diaphragm and thevalve 45 will be closed. Thus, the valve 45 will act to permit amomentary and relatively small inrush'of air to the cylinder H and, asthis will reduce thevacuum in the cylinder I I, the piston 49 will bepermitted to move ashort distance to the left (Figure 2) and the brakeswill be released a-small amount. As noted above the object of thisarrangement is to permit the operator to release the brakes in smallincrements as is important in obtaining the proper control of thevehicle. Figure 5 illustrates the positions of the control valvepartsduring this momentary opening-of the valve 45 and it willbe noted thatthe valves'32 and 25 remain seated. Y I If it is desired to quickly andcompletely release the brakes after they have been applied the operatorremoves his foot from the control pedal and the spring 59 will move thelever L about the point 42 as a" pivot thus permitting the upper end Lof the lever L to move from the position shown in Figure 5 into contactwith the knife edge 29.

Further movement of the lever L will now be about the knife edge 29 as afulcrum and the spring 59 will cause the lever to move to lift the valve92 from its seat and thus connect the cylinder to the atmosphere andpermitting the brakes to'be completely released. At the same time theinitial release of the compression of the spring 59 will permit thevacuum to act upon the diaphragm 44 to lift the valve 45 off of its seatand an additional connection from the cylinder to the atmosphere will beprovided through the passages 53 and 52. However, as soon as the vacuumwithin the cylinder, and consequently within the chamber 49 on the righthand side of the diaphragm 44, is reduced a certain amount the spring 59will overcome the effect of the diaphragm 44 and the valve 45 may againbeseated The parts will then assume the position shown in Figure 2 andwill be ready for, another application of the brakes. It will beunderstood that the reseating of the valve 45 will depend upon therelative forces-exerted by the diaphragm 44 and the spring 59 and thatby properlyproportioning the parts the desired action maybe obtained.

Ananalysis of Figures 3, 4 and 5 will be helpful to the properunderstanding of the operation of our apparatus.

In Figure 3 the lever L has been moved to the left as compared to Figure2, the valve 52 has been closed, the valve'25 has been opened, thespring 59 has been compressed and the valve 45 is maintained against itsseat. While in this position air is being withdrawn from the cylinder Hby the suction of the intake manifold and atmospheric pressure is actingupon the left hand end of the piston 40 to move it to theright (Figure2) thus causing the brakes to be applied.

In Figure 4 the same vacuum conditions have been reached within thediaphragm chamber I 9 as exist within the cylinder II and the action ofatmospheric pressure upon the right hand side of the diaphragm'2l hascaused the valve 25 to again be seated. This seating movement of thevalve 25 has moved theknife edge away from.

the end L of the lever L and has caused the spring ii to be compressed.The apparatus is now in a. static or balanced condition with a certaindegree of vacuum maintained within the cylinder. The degree of vacuumwhich will be maintained, and consequently the braking force applied,will, of course, depend upon the distance the lever L has been moved andthe load imposed on the spring 8| which must be balanced by thediaphragm 2| before the valve 26 will seat to shut off the vacuumconnection.

In Figure the lever L has been permitted to move to the left a smalldistance from the position shown in Figure 4. This movement has not beensufllcient to cause the end L of the lever L to engage the knife edge28'and therefore the valve 32 has not been lifted from its seat.However, the compressive force exerted upon the spring 59-has beenrelieved sufllciently to permit the pressure diflferential between theopposite sides of the diaphragm 44 to move the rod 41 to the right,against the spring 58, and lift the valve- 46 from its seat. As soon asthe rush of air into the cylinder through the passage 58 has reduced thevacuum on the right hand side of diaphragm 44 enough to permit thespring 58to again overcome the above noted pressure diflerential thevalve 46 will be closed and the parts will then again assumesubstantially the position shown in Figure 4, although the lever L will.of course, remain in the position shown in Figure 5.

Successive small movements of the lever L to the right will causesuccessive opening and closing movements of the valve 46, each of theseopening and closing movements being accompanied by a correspondingrelatively small reduction of the vacuum within the cylinder II andrelease of the vehicle brakes.

By combining the main vacuum and atmospheric connection control valvesand our improved auxiliary atmospheric' control valve we have obtained afluid pressure brake control mechanism which is particularly adapted forcontrolling the operation of so-called vacuum brakes.

We preferably provide our brake control apparatus with a spring loadingunit generally in dicated at A. This unit comprises a tubular housing 65threaded on its outer surface 'and having threaded engagement in anextending lug 66 on the housing H. Aspring 61 is disposed within thehousing 65 and flanged guide members 68 and 68 are positioned at theends of the spring and adapted to slide within the tubular housing 65.The operating cable or rod 9 passes through the guide members 68 and 69and also through the spring 61 and the housing 65. The right hand end ofthe housing 65 is provided with an opening 18 through which the shank 1|of the yoke 12 may pass. The rod or cable 9 is secured to the shank 1|.and the yoke 12 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the lever L.As is seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5, the shank II is adapted to passthrough the opening 18 and engage the sliding flange 69. After thisengagement takes place further movement of the cable or rod 9 and thelever L in brake applying direction will be against the resistance ofthe spring 61. The tubular sleeve 65 may be adjusted in the lug 88 andlocked in the desired position by means of the lock nut I3. We prefer toposition the sleeve 65, and consequently the spring resistance 61, so

that the end of the shank 1| will engage the sliding flange 68 atsubstantially the same time that the valve 26 has been opened justenough to cause the slack to be taken up in the,brake connections andthe brakes to be placed in position for immediate application. Furthermovement of the lever L in brake applying direction will then beeffective to apply the vehicle brakes and, as the operator can feel theincreased resistance caused by the spring 87, he will be given apositive indication when the brake applying portion of the movement ofthe clutch actuating pedal has been reached. The spring 61 is alsoeffective in assisting to move the lever L to the right during brakereleasing movements of the valve .mechanism and therefor the spring 58maybe made lighter and more sensitive, thus permitting a relativelysmall diaphragm 44 to be used. It will be understood that the justdescribed loading or resistance device might be used if a separate brakecontrollever were provided instead of a combination clutch and brakelever, as

shown.

- In Figure 6 we have illustrated a modified form of our control valvemechanism for vacuum brakes and the like. A number of the parts of thismodified apparatus are exactly the same as and perform the samefunctions as corresponding parts in the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to5. Therefore, these like parts have been siml larly numbered. The mainvacuum control valve 26 is carried on a rod 24. The left hand end of therod 24 is secured to a diaphragm 2| mounted in the diaphragm chamber Hi.The lever L is connected at its upper end L' to the rod 24 by a somewhatdifierent arrangement than that illustrated in Figures 2 to 5 inclusive.the upper end of the'lever L is pivotally secured to a threaded capmemberliwhich acts as an end closure for the cylindrical sleeve 18. Therod 24 passes through an aperture in the end of the sleeve 16 and isadapted to move freely therethrough. The end of the rod 24 is threadedfor an adjustable flange "and a spring 18 is disposed between the flangeI! and a. corresponding flange 18 which is adapted to slide on the rod24. It will be seen that when the pivot point 80 between the lever L andthe end cap I5 is moved to the right (Figure 6) the spring 18 willtransmit such motion to the rod 24 and the valve 26. After the valve 26reaches the limit of its opening movement further movement of the pivotpoint 88 to the right will compress the spring 18 and impose a loadwhich must be balanced by the diaphragm 2| to close the valve 26, as isdescribed above.

In Figure 6 the main atmospheric connect-ion valve and the auxiliaryatmospheric connection valve have been combined in a single unit. ,A.

. phere through the passage 84. Extending through and secured to thediaphragm 8| is a valve rod 86 which passes through the walls ofthe'diaphragm chamber 82. To prevent leakage around the rod 85 packingrings 86 and 81 of leather, or other suitable material, may be provided.The left hand end of the red as projects mm 91 passage way or chamber 88and carries at its end a valve closure member 89 which is adapted toseat on a seat 88 thus closing off communication between the interior ofthe cylinder and the atmosphere. A spring"9| lies within the diaphragmchamber 82 on the left hand side of the'diaphragm and tends to maintainthe diaphragm 8| and the valve 89 in their fully open position, as

In Figure 8' 'stantially the same as and performs parts will. therefore,be termed to bythe same ber 95. Thecap 95 is mounted on the outer endreference numbers.

of the rod 85 and the plunger 94 is adapted/to slide within the cylinder92 and carries a yoke member 95 which is pivotally connected to thelever L at '91. a The spring loading unit A is subthe same functions asdescribed above. The operation of the above described apparatus is asfollows:

When the parts are in the position shown" in Figure 6 the vacuumconnection valve is closed and the interior of the'cylinder is open tothe atmosphere throughkthe chambers 28 and 88. If the cable 9 is movedtothe left in the direction oi. the arrow the lever L will first beswung about the point 80 as a--pivot' and the plunger 84, the

spring 93,-the rod 85 and the diaphragm'III will bemoved to the leftcausing the valve 89 to engage its seat 90 thus shutting off theatmospheric connection to the interior of the-cylinder. Furthermovementof the-cable 9 in the'same direction will cause the valve 28 tobe liftedfrom its seat thus connecting the cylinder to the in-' take manifold andcausing the brakes to be applied. ,The valve 26 will be' lifted from itss'eat whenthe spring 93 has been compressed-an.

amount great enough to cause the point 91 to becomerela'tivelystationary so that'it will act as a fulcrum for thelever L. f Y

.After the valve 26 has been opened it will be closed again when thevacuum within the diaphragm chamber I 8 reaches a point where thediaphragm 2| will overcome the spring I8 and move the .valve 26 intoseated position. a a

. Now. after the cable 9 is slightly released thus permitting the leverL to move to the right a relatively small distance the pressure onv thespring 93 will be relieved. Theispring 93, the spring 9| and thediaphragm 8| are so proportioned'that a relatively slight release of thecompression of the spring 93 will permit the combined action of thespring 9| and the. pressure differential acting upon the diaphragm 8| tolift the valve 89 from its seatthus permitting a quick inrush of air tothe cylinder II. .Thisinrush of air,- however. will reduce the vacuumwithin the cylinder II, and

consequentlywithin the diaphragm chamber 82. on the right hand side'ofthe diaphragm 8| and the spring ,93 ;will again overcome the spring -9I-and the force of the diaphragm, causingthe valve 89 to again be seated.Thus, with thearr'angementillustrated in Figure 6 a relatively smallreleasing action will be obtained for correspondingly small'releasingmovements .of the controllever in a manner generally the same as thatdescribed in connection with the apparatus of Figures 1' to 5. If theoperator desires to completely release the brakes of the apparatus shownin Figure 6 he need only release the cable 9- under which circumstancesthe spring 9| will lift the valve 89 completely from its seat and, asthe compression of the spring 93 isalso releasedythere'will be no forcetending. to again close the valve 89. Thus,

an instantaneous complete release or a gradual release of the brakes insmall increments maybe obtained with this apparatus;

Figure, 7 illustrates another modified form'of our invention. Thisembodiment is generallysimilar to that shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and5,'except for the auxiliary atmospheric control valve arrangement. Themain atmospheric control valve 32' and the actuating pressure controlvalve 28, together with the operating lever arrangement for these valvesis illustrated in substantially the same form as the above noted figuresand these ":The downwardly extending bracket. J00. forms one wall ofdiaphragm chambenIOI, the other wall of this chan'iher'being formed bythe cap member I02 which has threaded engagement with thebracket Iandalso serves to clamp the outer periphery of the diaphragm I03.Secured to the center of the diaphragn'i I03 is a cylindrical member I04which has a reduced-portion I05 adapted to slid in a suitable bore inthe outwardly projecting boss I08 on the'cap I02. The member I04 extendsthrough'and is guided by a flange III! which forms one wall of a chamber.I08'in. the bracket I00. Holes I 09 extend through the flange I0'l forreasons which will appear later. The

portion of the member I04 whichextends into the chamber I08 carries areduced stem IIO which has a sliding fit in the tubular member I I I.This tubular member II I is secured tothe valve plunger II2 and isadapted to move therewith. A valve face H3 isformed on'the left hand endof the I I 4. A cylindrical sleeve I I 5 supports and guides the plungermember II2 and also guides the plunger member I I 8 which is pivotallysecuredat I IIto the operating lever L. A guiding rod I I8 is preferablyformed integrally with the plunger I I2 and has a slidingflt-i'n 'thebre I'I9 inthe plunger. Withinfthesleeve II5.and between the .plungers II2 and I I 6 is a coil spring I20. vAnother 'coil spring'isdlsposedwithin the tubular member I II and tends to normally maintainthe valve "I I3 in unseatedposition'. A spring I 22 abuts at one varied.

The chamber I08 is connected by a cylindrical passage I08 of largerdiameter than the tubular memberI2I, to the chamber I25 which is connected tothe atmosphere through the passage I28. A passage" I2I in thebracket I00 connects the right -'hand side of the diaphragm chamber INto the chambers 28 and thus to the interior of the cylinder II and avent hole I28 connects the left hand side of the diaphragm chamber IOIto the atmosphere. The spring loading unit Ais substantially the same asand performs the same functions as unit A described above in connectionwith other forms of our invention. f The operation of the apparatusillustrated in Figure 7 is as follows: o a c When the parts are in thepositions shown in Figure 7 the valve 26 is closed thus shutting off theconnection between the source of actuating pressure and the interior ofthe cylinder I; A connection between the atmosphere and the cylinder IIis provided through the opened valve 32, and, as the valve II 3 is alsoopen. an additional connection between the-interior of the cylinder I Iof the diaphragm chamber, II, the passage I21 and the chamber 28. I

when the operator of the vehicle desires to apply the brakes he movesthe lever L to the left- The first portion of this movement will closethe valve 82 and will move the plunger I IE to the left plunger II2 andadapted to seat upon a seat within the sleeve III. This movement of theplunger I I6 will be transmitted through the spring I2II to the valvecarrying plunger I I2, moving it to the left and causing the valve I I 3to be seated 5 ,upon the seat I, thus closing the auxiliaryatwill becomeeifective to move the sleeve I I I out of mospheric connection'to theinterior of the cylinder. This closing movement of the valve plunger II!also causes the tubular sleeve III tomove to the left, compressing thespring I2I, until the end of sleeve III abuts against the cylindricalmember IIM. The parts are preferably so proportioned that the end of thesleeve I2I will strike 'the'member I" before the valve III reaches itsWhen the valve 26 is opened the pressure within the cylinder II isreduced and this reduction 'of pressure is also eflected in the righthand side of the diaphragm chamber Ill. However, the pressurediflerentialbetween the opposite sides of diaphragm I0! is notsuillcient to overcome the load imposed in the opposite direction by thespring I20 and valve III will remain seated. If the operator now permitsthe lever L to move to the right a relatively small amount thecompression of the spring I2! will be relieved and the parts are soproportioned that the pressure differential acting upon the diaphragm IIll, together with the force of spring I22, will now be suincient tomove the diaphragm I to the right. This movement will lift the valve Illfrom its seat because the sleeve III is still in abutting relation withthe member I 04. When the valve I I2 opens air under atmosphericpressure will enter the cylinder I I through the passage I28, passageI08, chamber I08, holes I09, the right hand side of the diaphragmchamber Ill,the passage I21 and the chamber 28, thus permittingthebrakes .to be relaesd a small amount. This opening conditions withinthe cylinder II, thus releasing the brakes a proportionate amount.

' If it is desired to completely release the vehicle,

brakes after they have been applied lever L will be permitted to returnto its normal or off position and in this case the compressive forceupon the spring I20 will be removed and the spring |2l engagement withthe member I to move the valve I it into completely open position, asshown in Figure 7.

From the above description of several embodi- 'ments of our invention itwillbe seen by those skilled in the art that we have provided anextremely flexible and sensitive control apparatus for fluid pressureactuated brakes whereby the operator has complete and 'eifective controlof both the application and release of the brakes.

Although we have described. in considerable tion it will be understoodby those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may. bemade from the speciflc forms shown and describedherein without departingfrom the spirit of our invention, For example, the diaphragm illustratedmight be replaced by'pistons operating in cylinders in well known mannerand it is intended that the term "diaphragm" where used in ourspecification and claims, includes in its scope a piston or otherequivalent mechanism. We do not, therefore, limit ourselves to theparticular forms shown and described, but claim as our invention allembodiments coming within the scope of the appended claims. a

a We claim:

i; In a control valve mechanism for fluid pres sure actuated brakes andthe like, the combination of a main vacuum connection control valve,

a main atmospheric connection control valve, an

auxiliary atmospheric connection control valve,

operating rods secured to each of said valves, a

lever having pivotal connections to each of said operating rods, adiaphragm secured to the operating rod for said main vacuum controlvalve, a

diaphragm secured to the operating rod for said auxiliary atmosphericcontrol valve and fluid pressure conducting connections whereby the mainvacuum control valve and diaphragm may be movedinto closed position'byatmospheric pressure, and fluid pressure conducting connections wherebythe auxiliary atmospheric control valve and diaphragm may be moved intoopened position by atmospheric pressure.

a 2. In combination in a control valve mechanism for fluid pressureactuated devices, an actuating pressure control valve, means operable byfluid pressure and adapted to move said actuating pressure valve inclosing direction, a'n atmospheric connection control valve, meansoperable by fluid pressure and adapted to move said atmospheric controlvalve in opening direction, spring means adapted to oppose the movementof said actuatingpressure valve in closing direction, independent springmeans adapted to oppose the force exerted by said last named fluidpressure means to move the atmospheric control valve in openingdirection, and an operating lever for said valves, said lever beingadapted when moved in one direction to exert a valve opening to force onsaid actuating pressure valve through said first named spring means andto exert a valve closing force on said atmospheric control valve throughsaid second named spring means;

3. In combination, in apparatus of the class tie-- scribed, a cylinder,an actuating pressure control valve for said cylinder, an operating rodsecured to said valve, a diaphragm secured to said rod, fluid passagesadapted to connect one sideof said diaphragm to the atmosphereand theother side of said diaphragm to said cylinder,an atmospheric connectioncontrol valve for said cylinder, an operating member secured to saidatmospheric valve, a diaphragm secured to said operating member, fluidpassages adapted to connect one side of said last named diaphragm to theatmosphere and-the other side to said cylinder, a common operating leverfor said valves, a spring interposed between said lever and saidactuating pressure valve operating rod and a spring interdetail'the'lllustrated embodiments of our inven-. be t an m tted through saidsecond named spring 75 to exert a closing force on said atmosphericvalve.

4. In apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a leveradapted and resilient operating connections between. the

other portion of said valve operating member and said lever. i

5. In combination in valve mechanism of the type described, actuatingpressure controlling valve means, main atmospheric pressure controllingvalve means and an auxiliar'y'atmospheric connection control valve meansfor the operating cylinder of a fluid pressure actuated mechanism, saidauxiliary atmospheric pressure con,- trolling means including a valveclosure member adapted when in closed position to shut off anatmospheric connection to the cylinder and when in open position tocomplete .the atmospheric connection, a diaphragm secured to saidclosure member and exposed on one side to atmospheric pressure and onthe other side to the operating cylinder pressure whereby a reduction incylinder pressure will tend to move'said closure member in openingdirection, an operating lever for said auxiliary valve and resilientconnections between said diaphragm and said operating lever.

6. In apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a mainatmospheric connection control valve, an auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve and an operating lever for said valves, saidactuating pressure control valve and said auxiliary atmosphericconnection control .valve being connected to said lever at spaced pointsthereon and said main atmospheric connection control valve beingconnected to said lever between said spaced points.

'I. In apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a mainatmospheric connection control valve, an auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve and an oper- I ating lever for said valves,said actuating pressure control valve and said auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve being connected through resilient means to saidlever at spaced points thereon and said main atmospheric connectioncontrol valve being connected to said lever between said spaced points.

8. In apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a mainatmos- 'pheric connection control valve, an auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve and an operating lever-,for said valves, saidactuating pressure control valve and said auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve being connected to said lever at spaced pointsthereon and said main atmospheric connection control valve beingconnected to said lever between said spaced pointswhereby said point ofconnection of said lever to said main atmospheric valve will form afixed fulcrum for said lever when the main atmospheric valve is closed.

9. In apparatus of the class described, 9. cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a mainatmospheric connection control valve, an auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve and an operating lever for said valves, saidactuating pressure control valve and said auxiliary atmosphericconnection control valve being connected through resilient means to saidlever at spaced points thereon and said main atmospheric connectioncontrol valve being connected to said lever between said spaced pointswhereby said point of connection of said lever to said. main atmosphericvalve will form a fixed fulcrum for said lever when the main atmosphericvalve is closed.

10. In apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a leveradapted to operate said valve, valve mechanism for conportion of saidvalve operating member and saidlever.

11. In apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a valve forcontrolling the actuating pressure connection to said cylinder, a leveradapted to operate said valve, valve mechanism for controlling aconnection between said cylinder and the atmosphere, said last namedvalve mechanism including a housing having a diaphragm chamber therein,a diaphragm in said housing, a valve operating member secured to saiddiaphragm and having portions extending through the walls of saidchamber on both sides of said diaphragm, a valve face on one of saidportions, operating connections between the other portion of said valveoperating memmr and said lever, and spring means adapted to opposemovement of said valve operating lever in a direction to open saidactuating pressure control valve.

FREDERICK G. FOLBERTH. WILLIAM M. FOLBERTH.

